Cajun Broiled Tilapia w/ Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce



Tilapia with Alfredo Sauce

 Cajun Seasoned Tilapia with Shrimp and 4 Cheese Alfredo Sauce

HI again! I know the name above is kinda long winded, but this really is extremely easy to prepare. It only looks like it took forever. The smooth taste of the Alfredo sauce mellows out the Cajun seasoning. Pair that with the rice pilaf and the pan cooked shrimp and you've got a dinner fit for company. The restuarant Ruby Tuesdays has been selling a dish like this for quite awhile, but as you'll see it isnt at all expensive to prepare (sure is on their menu though).

The ingredients are straight forward. You may have your own choice of Cajun seasoning, or even create your own from discrete spices. For convenience I am gonna use an off the shelf seasoning and a boxed rice pilaf. Take caution with the rice pilaf. Some of the boxed pilafs do not require you to pre-brown the pasta in butter/margerine before you add the rice and water. Those aren't as good as the ones which
you brown first. I bought the Rice-a-roni brand this time (it was on sale).

********Ingredients********
4-6 tilapia fillets (thawed if previously frozen)
16-20 medium size raw shrimp, peeled and deveined. (27-30 size) OPTIONAL
Cajun Seasoning of your choice - I use Weber Grill Creations N'Orleans Cajun
Butter or margerine
Rice Pilaf - 7 oz. box or make your own.
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Alfredo sauce - 15oz. jar (Use the Classic or 4-Cheese)
1 - Lemon & Parsley to garnish.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Start with the rice pilaf. Each item here will take about 15-20 minutes to prepare, so overlapping their start times will help insure that everything will be ready when it is needed.

While the rice is cooking, grease a large glass baking dish or a lipped baking sheet pan. I use an ample amount of real butter or margerine for this. Lay out the tilapia fillets in the prepared baking dish. If any of your fillets have really thin flesh areas, especially towards the tail edge, fold these under the fillet slightly so they wont cook too fast or become overdone. Sprinkle a small amount of the crushed garlic on each fillet. Sprinkle a fair amount of your choice of Cajun seasoning on each fillet. For presentation, I dont go from edge to edge with the seasoning, but leave a small area at the end of each fillet with little to no seasoning. It just looks better I think. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes. The fish should flake easily with a fork when done.
Overcookng tilapia will make it tough, so check the fillets often after the 12 minute mark.

Ok we've got the rice cooking and the fillets in the oven. Lets pan fry some shrimp with garlic and butter.

In a large skillet over medium/high heat melt 3 tbsp. of butter or margerine. (Real butter works best) Add in the crushed garlic. Allow the garlic to sear alone in the butter for about a minute or two. A very light tan color is desirable. When your garlic has gotten to this point, add in the peeled shrimp. Cooking over medium/high heat, keep the shrimp moving in the pan. Constantly moving the top shrimp to the bottom, turning the food over and over will insure a nice coating of buttery garlic and help make sure all the shrimp is equally cooked. Once the shrimp is done, about 5 minutes, remove from the heat but leave in the pan.

Somewhere in the middle of all of that, open the Alfredo sauce into a medium sauce pot. Heat the Alfredo sauce slowly. It will scorch very easily. I will use a Pyrex bowl and the microwave often to heat a cheese based sauce in a hurry. Dont use plastic bowls if you use the microwave for this. The cheeses in the sauce will overheat around the exposed edge and melt most bowls.

So the fillets should be done by now. The rice pilaf is done and waiting, and now we have some shrimp and Alfredo sauce.

Time to assemble and serve. I start with a nice bed of the rice pilaf, about 2/3 cup. Place the tilapia fillet in the bed of rice. Drizzle or ladle a zig zag layer of the Alfredo across the fillet. Arrange 4-5 shrimp atop the fish/sauce combo... Garnish with sliced lemon and parsley and serve.

Steamed vegetables like brocilli pair up with this well. Oven roasted potatos work just as well. A good coarse bread helps balance the meal. Enjoy!!
Thanks for stopping by....Just Harv.